Undergraduate Medical Education and the Elective System: Experience with the Duke Curriculum, 1966-75.

Gifford, James F., Jr., Ed.; And Others

In view of increased public demand since 1965 for medical curriculum re-evaluation, the Duke University School of Medicine offered the first new model of medical education responsive to social pressures for change. The new Duke curriculum included presentation by each basic science department of the core of principles and information considered essential for any physician. In the second year students entered the wards of medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry as clinical clerks. The third and fourth years were devoted to elective courses, equally divided between basic science and clinical subjects, chosen in accordance with the student's career goals, with guidance from an advisor in each general area. The first 10 years of experience with the design at Duke are described in this book. Changes and continuities in the work of each basic science department, clinical department, and special educational program are described. The historical background of the experiment and the circumstances unique to Duke are discussed. Concluding chapters analyze the overall pattern of educational activity under the new curriculum, student attitudes toward their experiences with the new and old curricula, and the careers to date of graduates of the new curriculum. Over 30 writers contributed to the book. (LBH)